Siberian iris

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

May is one of my favorite months in the garden because it’s iris time!

iPhoneography: Japanese iris

Surprise Japanese iris blooms! I saw two purple buds a few days ago and thought maybe it was a straggler from the purple and white ones that finished blooming weeks ago, but when the buds opened this morning, I knew it wasn’t. I honestly don’t remember planting this (which sounds like something I might do!). iPhone 7Plus, Camera+ app in macro mode, Snapseed app border

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Daring Jumping spider

Daring Jumping spider (Phidippus audax) on an iris (unknown cultivar)

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Copper iris

Copper iris (Iris fulva). I spent a blissful half hour photographing these irises under a tree canopy with the most beautiful background light filtering through—looking for the perfect bokeh (and waiting for the wind to behave)!

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Criss-cross

I like the graphic qualities in this composition with the tight cropping and criss-cross leaves in the background, so I thought I’d share.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Bearded iris ‘Megabucks’

Bearded iris ‘Megabucks’ (Iris germanica ‘Megabucks’), photographed at Green Spring Gardens

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved

Eye candy, batch #3

Pulled from the archives of my personal refrigerator magnet poetry, and created with a garden-specific set of magnetic poetry (yes, there is such a product!), I give to you my handcrafted poem attempt #2.

in my garden
through spring and summer
flower bulb root sprout vine tendril emerge
brown earth explodes with life
struggles in the harsh noon light
blooming yellow red blue fresh
quietly full and wild and fertile
bug & bee work hard & long
and a thick green eden thrives
a blanket of peace rustles
beneath sunshine and shade above
I weed cut grow protect
then breathe relax reflect listen live
murmuring come here sacred rain
water more this labor of love
this canvas my art
soft sweet sanctuary

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Eye candy, batch #2

Pulled from the archives of my personal refrigerator magnet poetry, I give to you my handcrafted attempt #1:

January snow blanket melts
cold February moon gone
March winds a memory
a luscious light envelopes
tiny crocus petals whisper spring
most delicate green grass emerges
rain sweetens the earth
bird song filters down
from the impossibly blue blue sky
warm breezes weave through
a gorgeous tapestry of color

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Blackberry Lily

The Blackberry Lily (Belamcanda chinensis), also known as Leopard Lily, is native to China and Japan. Although it is called a Lily, it is actually in the Iridaceae (Iris) family. The leaves look exactly like the leaves of an Iris. This drought-tolerant perennial bulb sprouts two inch flowers in mid-to-late summer (in both yellow and this orange variety) and forms clustered black berries (hence the name!). The flowers only last one day and when they dry they twist into corkscrew-like spirals that fall as the seedpods develop. The seedpods will split open in the fall, allowing the plant to self-sow. Blackberry Lilies can be grown in sun or part shade in containers, beds and borders and can reach 24-40 inches in height. They are propagated by division of rhizomes or by seed in the spring and are hardy from zones 5-10.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Giant Apostles’ Iris

Giant Apostles’ Iris (Neomarica caerulea ‘Regina’)

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Purplelicious Installment #3

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Last year I wrote a newsletter article for the FlowershopNetwork.com. Check out “A Passion for Purple Flowers” here.

Yep, you guessed it. Green Spring Gardens again.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Blackberry Lily

I’m fairly certain the top photo is a Blackberry Lily (Belamcanda) photographed at Green Spring Gardens. It’s called a lily, but it’s actually a type of iris. Say what?

I know the second photo is definitely a Blackberry Lily. This coloration is far more common than the solid yellow color. I read that it can also be found in black, pink and purple hues. This hardy perennial is also referred to as a Leopard Lily or Leopard flower.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Published: A Passion for Purple Flowers

I recently wrote an article for flowershopnetwork.com for their monthly online newsletter. All but three of the photos in the article were shot by me (shown below); the others were purchased from istockphoto.com. The Flower Shop Network Newsletter is a free monthly e-mail featuring articles based on the knowledge of floral professionals across the country. Once a month, they provide interesting information about all things floral. You can view their newsletter archive and sign up for an e-mail blast here. To read my article, click on the link below:

http://www.flowershopnetwork.com/blog/passion-purple-flowers/

Blue-Eyed Grass

Photographed this afternoon at Green Spring Gardens—Blue-Eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium) is actually not a true grass, but a member of the Iris family, closely related to the Wild Iris or Blue Flag. The plant is also known as Star Grass because of the shape of the flowers. This native perennial grows across the prairies and open meadows. They grow just 4-12″ tall and the leaves are about 1/4″ wide. The flowers are incredibly tiny—barely 1/2″ in diameter!

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Check out my zenfolio.com gallery!

I’ve been working on putting the “cream of the crop” of my garden and landscape photos into one easy-to-navigate gallery. Eventually I’ll have the gallery set up to sell prints as well as stock photos, but in the interim, this is just a way to wrangle all of my web-viewing-only images into one gallery. I’ll be adding more images in the future. Currently there are 380 images in the Botanical Gallery. That should keep you plenty busy! If you’re a regular visitor to my blog, you’ll recognize many of the photos.

Once you click on the first link below, you can click “view all” at the bottom and see everything on one page, scrolling down as you go. If you click on an individual photo, it will enlarge and thumbnails for other images will show up on the side (as shown in the collage below). You can click on any of those to enlarge, or you can just launch the slide show in the second link below. I hope you enjoy the show!

Gallery:  http://cindydyer.zenfolio.com/p270076135

Slideshow: http://cindydyer.zenfolio.com/p270076135/slideshow

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Open a Zenfolio account with my referral code 8B9-BTJ-6G3 and save $5.00

Japanese Roof Iris

The Japanese Roof Iris (Iris tectorum) is native to China. It was first discovered in the 1860s, growing in Japan on thatched roofs, hence the common name. Below is an excerpt from a newsletter article by Gerald Klingaman, former extension horticulturist for the University of Arkansas, Cooperative Extension Service:

This charming little plant became known as the Japanese roof iris because that is where it was first observed by a Russian scientist, Carl Maximowicz (1827-1891). He spent three and a half years botanizing in Japan in the early 1860s and introduced numerous Japanese plants to Europe through his base in St. Petersburg.

In China, apparently the original home of the roof iris where it has been grown since at least seventh century, the plant grows on the ground like any sensible iris. But in Japan, it was found growing on the ridges of their thatched roofs.

Apparently this tradition started in Japan because of a decree by a Japanese emperor during a period of wartime when it became illegal to waste land growing flowers. All available land had to be used for rice or vegetables.

The main reason for growing the plant was not for its flowers, but for a white powder that was made by grinding the roots. The makeup used to create the white faces of the Geisha girls was made from the rhizomes. So, the plants moved from the garden to the roofs where it remained until being “discovered” by science.

This evergreen perennial is hardy to zone 5 and flowers from April to May. The 4-inch wide lavender flowers (‘Alba’ is the white cultivar) bloom for about two weeks. Growing just 12-14 inches tall, the Japanese root iris has a spreading, rhizomatous habit common to most irises. Also known as Wall Iris, the plants grow as well in partial shade as they do in full sun, but they perform best in dappled shade. Great for use in front of a border and in rock gardens, they prefer soil that is high in organic matter. Seeds can be collected in late summer and directly sown into the garden.

I photographed this beautiful flower on a shady walking trail in Garvan Woodland Gardens in Hot Springs, Arkansas last week. Garvan Woodland Gardens is a 210-acre wooded peninsula on Lake Hamilton. The Gardens were the vision of founder and benefactress, Verna Cook Garvan, who donated her property under a trust agreement to the University of Arkansas School of Architecture in 1985.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Duh…more flowers, of course!

Yesterday was so balmy/beautiful/blue-skied that Michael and I decided to hit Green Spring Gardens again to see if there were any (new) photographic opportunities. Here are my results from our hour+ adventure.

Check out Green Spring Gardens here: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/gsgp/

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved. www.cindydyer.com/GardenPhotos